Congressman Kurt Schrader today released the following statement after House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act,

"Although I strongly support many of the provisions of the NDAA, I voted against its final passage for two reasons," Schrader said."First, the overall authorization of the bill exceeds the amount allowed by the bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011 by over $8 billion. Congress needs to be building on the foundation laid by the Budget Control Act to reduce our Federal deficit and create the certainty necessary for our businesses to create jobs and make investments in the United States. Secondly, it is time for the war in Afghanistan to end. This NDAA includes an inadequately debated provision mandating at least 68,000 troops in Afghanistan through 2014 and a significant military presence thereafter. We have scattered our enemies and can continue to pursue them without thousands of troops and billions of dollars that would be better served at home."